A member of Chelsea’s infamous ‘bomb-squad’ is still holding out hope that Enzo Maresca will let him play for the first-team again.
Chelsea have made a strong start to the season, with the recent 3-0 win over Wolves moving them up to third in the Premier League and only six points behind leaders Arsenal.
No side has used more players (25) in the Premier League this season, with Maresca very happy with his squad of talented youngsters.
However, there are still a couple of stars at his disposal that he is refusing to play, namely Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi who remain in exile.
The head coach has made it clear to the pair that they are not part of his plans and were expected to depart Stamford Bridge last summer but both stayed put despite great transfer interest.
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They are banished from first-team training and are not even allowed to use the same facilities and toilets as their teammates.
Yet despite this treatment, BBC Sport report that Disasi retains hope of playing for the Blues again with the centre-back recently captaining the club’s Under-21 side.
The 27-year-old lead the youth team to a 4-1 victory over Reading on Saturday and has earned praise from within the club for his professionalism and positive influence on academy players.
Disasi and Sterling are eligible to play for Chelsea after being surprisingly registered in their Premier League squad, which could come in handy given their busy fixture list over Christmas, which includes two Champions League games and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City.
Nevertheless, it is said that Chelsea’s stance on the France international has not changed and they fully intend to sell him on when the transfer window reopens in January.
In September, Maresca stated that the defender would not be considered for a recall despite missing several centre-backs through injury, including long-term absentee Levi Colwill.
Signed from Monaco for £38.5million in January 2023, Disasi made 61 appearances for Chelsea before being told to leave and spent the second-half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
Last summer, he had offers to join West Ham, Sunderland and Bournemouth on loan but rejected them, as his preference was to move abroad.
Following the international break, Chelsea will travel to Burnley on November 22.
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